by Cleo Coyle
Basic batter:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups granulated sugar, divided
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt or ½ teaspoon table salt
2 large eggs, beaten with fork
1½ cups canola, vegetable, or cold-pressed coconut oil
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sour cream or crème fraîche
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum or 1½ teaspoons rum extract
Apple Custard layer:
3 large egg yolks
Step 1—Prep pan: Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some of the paper to hang over the long ends to create handles (these will allow you to lift the bars out after baking). Lightly coat the paper with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Step 2—Prep apples: Peel and cut apples into thin slices and place in a saucepan with lemon juice, water, and brown sugar (and throw in a vanilla bean here if you like). Over medium heat, cook and stir gently for about 15 minutes to soften the apples and caramelize them. Drain excess liquid and set aside to cool. Remove vanilla bean, if using.
Step 3—Create basic batter: Preheat oven to 325° F. Spoon flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and whisk together. Make a well. Add eggs, oil, milk, sour cream, vanilla, and rum (or rum extract). Whisk until well blended but do not overmix, or you will develop the gluten in the flour and your cake will be tough instead of tender.
Step 4—Create apple layer: Remove 1½ cups of batter from the mixing bowl and pour into a separate bowl. Whisk in egg yolks (this will help give your apple layer a more custard-like texture). Gently fold the apples into egg batter, pour into prepared pan, and even out the layer.
Step 5—Finish and bake: Pour the remaining (cake-layer) batter over the top of the apples. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar evenly over the top of cake to help create a crust while baking. Bake about 1 hour (you may need another 15 or so minutes). You’re watching for the top of the cake to turn a golden brown, the center of cake to set, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with no wet batter clinging to it. Remove from oven and cool completely. While very warm the bars may not stay together, but once cool, you will be able to slice into squares and serve (with joy!). For a finished look before serving, dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
Clare Cosi’s Skillet Lasagna (for Mike)
On the night of the explosion, Clare was craving the comfort food of her childhood, namely her nonna’s hearty lasagna. Without the time (or energy) to make her grandmother’s many-layered casserole, she whipped up this quickie skillet version for herself and Detective Mike Quinn.
Given Quinn’s interest in other kinds of comfort that night, they didn’t actually eat this meal for many hours after it was cooked. No worries. Clare Cosi’s Skillet Lasagna tastes even better as a leftover dish. “Heat and reheat”—good advice for this dinner, as well as Clare and Mike’s weekend-to-weekend relationship.
6 ounces curly lasagna noodles
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup baby bella mushrooms (optional), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ pound lean ground beef
½ pound ground pork (or chicken)
1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped (you can use a food processor for this)
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning or a mix of dried rosemary, basil, and oregano
Handful of fresh, Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, chopped
¾ cup ricotta cheese (whole milk will give the best flavor)
½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (whole milk will give the best flavor)
Sprinkling of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (to taste)
Step 1—Boil lasagna noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Break lasagna noodles into 3-inch pieces and cook according to the package directions. Drain well and set aside.
Step 2—Meat and veg: Lightly coat a large skillet with olive oil and set over medium heat. Add chopped onion. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in ground beef and pork, breaking up and cooking until meat is browned and no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. When the meat is cooked, add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Stir in parsley.
Step 3—Finish with noodles and cheese: Add in the cooked lasagna noodles and gently stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Use a spoon to evenly top the mixture with big dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top. Cover and cook a few more minutes, until everything is heated through. Dish out helpings and garnish with a sprinkling of grated Romano or Parmesan cheese and a bit of parsley on the side. To reheat, add more mozzarella, cover, and melt. Molto bene!
How to Make an Irish Car Bomb
On the night that Mike Quinn took Clare to visit the NYPD Bomb Squad, he told her the story of the first time he worked with the squad’s lieutenant, Dennis DeFasio. At the close of the case, DeFasio and his crew took Quinn to a pub for a night of Irish Car Bombs (the kind you drink).
The “Irish” refers to the traditional ingredients: Guinness Stout, Baileys Irish Cream, and Jameson Irish Whiskey. As for the bomb, this is a “bomb shot” drink like the notorious Boilermaker. You must chug it immediately or the Baileys Irish Cream will curdle.
Don’t expect to find this beverage in a Dublin pub; this is an American concoction. (An interesting note: the coffee liqueur Kahlúa was once part of the original recipe, but is now considered optional. When Clare’s homemade Kahlúa (page 378) is involved, however, Quinn goes old school.)
Makes one heck of an explosive serving
½ ounce Irish cream (Baileys)
¼ ounce Irish whiskey (Jameson)
½ pint Irish stout (Guinness)
Pour the Irish cream into a shot glass, then carefully pour the whiskey on top—go slowly and it should float. Pour the Irish stout into a tall beer glass and drop the shot glass into it. Drink immediately, drain the glass, and make sure someone in your group is a designated driver (or you have cab fare home).
Baileys Irish Cream and Caramel-Nut Fudge
Yes, this is the very buttery caramel fudge (with an Irish cream kick) that Clare used to bribe NYPD Bomb Squad Lieutenant DeFasio and his crew. That night, she made it in an 8-inch-square pan and cut it into bite-sized pieces for sharing. If you don’t expect to consume it in one night, however, Clare suggests making the fudge in a loaf pan. Then you can remove the fudge block, wrap it in plastic, and store it in the fridge. Over the course of many evenings, you can take out the block, cut off slices to enjoy with coffee, and rewrap it to keep fresh for the next time you’d like a wee nip of edible joy.
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt (do not substitute table salt)
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup Baileys Irish Cream
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup, which is flavored corn syrup)
1½ cups white chocolate chips (or 9 ounces of white chocolate discs)
¾ cup plus 1/3 cup chopped, toasted walnuts
Step 1—Prep pan: Use an 8-inch-square pan or an 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pan. Line the pan completely with parchment paper and allow the paper to extend beyond at least 2 sides to create a sling with handles. You’ll use these to easily lift the fudge from the pan.
Step 2—Bring to a boil: Combine evaporated milk, sugars, butter, and salt in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally to prevent burning. When the mixture comes to a full, rolling boil, set the timer for 5 minutes and stir constantly.
Step 3—Stir in final ingredients: Pour in the mini mars
hmallows and stir rapidly to melt. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, Baileys Irish Cream, and maple syrup. Add the white chocolate chips and stir until melted. Fold in ¾ cup chopped walnuts.
Step 4—Pour, garnish, and chill: Pour fudge mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/cup chopped walnuts across the top to decorate. Allow to cool completely at room temperature..
Step 5—WARNING: Do not cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap until the fudge has completely cooled; otherwise, steam will condense and your fudge will become soggy. Once the fudge loaf is cool, loosely cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap or foil and place the pan in the fridge, chilling until firm. Remove pan from fridge and lift the fudge out of the pan using the parchment-paper handles. Slice to enjoy. To store, rewrap the fudge tightly in plastic and place back in the fridge.
BAILEYS BUYING NOTE: If you’re not a big drinker, simply buy 2 mini-bar bottles of Baileys. Inexpensive, single-serving bottles come in sizes of 50 milliliters, and 2 bottles will allow you to measure out the amount needed for this recipe.
Baileys Irish (Butter) Cream Frosting
This is one of Clare Cosi’s favorite go-to frostings when she’s making no-frills cupcakes for Mike. The frosting brings the party—and the flavor.
To get Clare’s Irish Cream Poke Cake recipe, a fantastic (and easy) “wow” of a party cake that will sit beautifully beneath this frosting, drop by author Cleo Coyle’s online coffeehouse at CoffeehouseMystery.com.
Makes about 2 cups (amazing!) icing, enough to frost a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
Using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter. Add Baileys Irish Cream, vanilla extract, and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar. Beat until the sugar is dissolved. Scrape down the bowl, add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, and beat until dissolved. Add the remaining 1 cup sugar and beat until smooth. If frosting is dry, add a bit more Irish Cream until you get the consistency you like.
Clare Cosi’s Crunchy Almond Biscotti
(Easy Food Processor Method)
Clare proudly served these goodies to her esteemed (and beloved) employer, Madame Dreyfus Allegro Dubois. Like the gelato makers of Sicily, Clare developed this recipe with the goal of making the cookie taste exactly like the star ingredient. Bite into these crunchy, twice-baked fingers and the fragrance and flavor of almond will envelop you. Dip them in chocolate and your mouth will believe it’s filled with chocolate-covered almonds.
Makes about 16 finger-sized biscotti
½ cup whole, shelled almonds, skins on
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt or 1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable or (cold-pressed virgin)
coconut oil, liquefied
½ cup sliced almonds
1 egg white
Step 1—Make the dough: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place whole almonds into the food processor and pulse until texture resembles sand. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the bowl and pulse until well mixed. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and oil. Process and/or pulse until a dough forms. Transfer the dough onto a flat surface, knead, and shape into a disc. Add the remaining ½ cup sliced almonds and knead with your hands until the nuts are mixed in.
Step 2—Shape into logs and bake: Divide the dough in half and roll between your palms to create 2 long cylinders. Place these cylinders onto prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of room in between, and flatten them, shaping into long rectangles. Brush tops and sides with egg white whisked with a little water. (This helps prevent crumbling when sliced and gives the cookies a nicer crust.) Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes. While warm, the logs are fragile; handle carefully. The best way to transfer them is to slide the parchment paper off the pan and onto the cutting board or flat surface. Reduce oven temperature to 300° F.
Step 3—Slice: Using your sharpest knife, slice the logs on a sharp diagonal into finger-thick cookies, about ½ inch. No sawing! Slice down hard in one motion to cleanly cut through any crunchy almonds. Cutting tip: This is often why the cookies crumble at this stage. If you were to saw back and forth on the log or only gently cut, when you hit a hard nut, you’d merely agitate the nut instead of cutting through it and that agitation will crumble the cookie around the nut. So be sure to cut down hard.
Step 4—Add the “bis” to biscotti by baking again: Reusing your parchment paper, place the cookies on their sides on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Flip and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven. The cookies will get crispier and crunchier as they cool. Store in a plastic container. There is no need to refrigerate, but you must allow biscotti to cool completely before storing or the cookies will end up soggy from condensation.
CHOCOLATE-COVERED ALMONDS: That’s what these deliciously crunchy biscotti will taste like when you dip them in chocolate. Clare likes to dip half the cookie (lengthwise) so chocolate can be tasted in every bite. Simply place 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped (or chips), and about 1 tablespoon heavy cream into a microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 20 seconds and stir, repeating until chocolate is melted. Chocolate burns easily and you do not want to nuke the chocolate until it’s completely melted or you will risk burning it, so take care.
Clare Cosi’s Chocolate-Crusted Banana Bars
“Lovin’ from the oven” is how Matt described these fresh-baked squares, and he was right. The chocolate layer adds a nice twist to the traditional banana bar recipe. Clare adds a bit of earthy espresso powder to that bottom layer as well. Yes, she’s a coffee fiend, but here’s the truth: you won’t taste coffee, only a more powerful note of chocolate. Espresso powder is a baker’s secret to deepening the flavor of chocolate in recipes.
Yield: 16 squares (from one 9-inch-square pan)
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large)
¼ cup sour cream
¾ cup canola oil (or cold-pressed coconut oil)
½ cup light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten with fork
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon table salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour or 1 cup all-purpose flour and ½ cup spelt, amaranth, or whole wheat flour
¼ cup baking cocoa
½ teaspoon espresso powder
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Step 1—Make batter: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line the bottom of an 9-inch-square pan with parchment paper and butter the paper; set aside. Combine bananas and sour cream with a fork. Add in oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until smooth. Add flour and mix until a batter forms.
Step 2—Create chocolate bottom: Remove 1 cup batter and place in a separate bowl. Add cocoa, espresso powder, chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts, if using, and mix until blended. Be careful to not overwork batter or you’ll develop the gluten in the flour and your bars will be tough instead of tender.
Step 3—Assemble and bake: Spread the chocolate batter evenly across the bottom of prepared pan. Spoon remaining batter on top, and even out using the back of a spoon. Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
Clare’s Billionaire Twinkie Cupcakes
Clare Cosi’s dinner at the Source Club ended with a nasty scene and no dessert, which meant Clare and Eric never had a chance to sample Chef Clarke Harvey’s
Billionaire Twinkie. But her hankering for that golden cake with gooey marshmallow crème filling wouldn’t go away, so Clare dug up her old “In the Kitchen with Clare” column recipe for Twinkie Cupcakes and baked them up for the billionaire’s cyber crew. Here’s her recipe, so you can enjoy them, too . . .
Makes 12 cupcakes
Cupcakes:
1 box yellow cake mix* (see Note below)
1¼ cups water
1/3 cup canola oil
4 egg whites (room temperature is best)
Filling:
6 cups (1 10-oz. bag) mini marshmallows
2 tablespoons corn syrup (or vanilla-flavored corn syrup)
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (tip: for a whiter filling, use “clear vanilla” extract)
*A note on the cake mix: I use Betty Crocker plain yellow cake mix (not butter yellow) for this recipe. This recipe should work with any brand of yellow cake mix. Be sure to pick up a mix that lists oil in the directions and has “pudding in the mix” as a feature. (FYI: When you use oil in a cake recipe, your cake will stay fresher for a longer period of time.)
Step 1—Mix the batter: Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners, and set aside. Into a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, water, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer for about 1 minute until a smooth batter forms. Be sure to scrape down the bowl as you mix. Place in the fridge until you complete the next step.